Compensation after returning from cruise?

[undertheradar]

I'm sorry your kiddo got sick. We had a HORRIBLE cruise in 2015 on DCL...it was an everything going wrong type of a situation and the "wrong" was a direct result of DCL staff...when we got home I called them, in addition to listing out the issues we had on our comment card. My "compensation" was a discount if we sailed with them again. But, the offenses were just too much and we have opted to not use the discount. They almost killed our kid and that was just one of the issues. Your kiddo got a stomach bug, so if it took them almost killing our kid, ruined formal wear, a housekeeper that would not get us ice or fresh towels (ever), etc...and our compensation was a coupon for a minor discount on a full priced cruise within one year, I would bet that your chances of getting something out of them is slim to none.

What?

 

[Shanti]

I feel your pain. On the way home from our Fantasy Cruise last year, my little one got very ill. Throwing up and the works. It only got worse from there and she was hospitalized a week later and diagnosed with the parasite Cryptosporidium. My son was ill too but was able to fight it off. But she was little and became severely dehydrated. Three other members (kids) in a party we traveled with also became sick with it too.

This parasite is something you catch in the water, possible cause being fecal matter in a pool. We were only with the other party on the cruise, no excursions, no contact before or after the cruise. That being said, it means my daughter could only have caught this on the cruise.

Now I called Disney Cruise to report it and make them aware of what happened. In the end, they did absolutely nothing for us. Hundreds and hundreds of dollars spent in copays and they would not reimburse us for anything. My daughter missed the first two weeks of school, lost a lot of weight and it was just a scary ordeal of being in the hospital.

I realized months later I may have been able to use travel insurance but just didn't think at the time.

I still feel she caught the parasite in the pool being that someone was always having an accident in it. The pool was constantly being closed for cleaning. I wish parents would follow the rules about their children being potty trained for the pools. (Yes your kid may have a good time for a while but look at what could happen!).

In the end I am disappointed that Disney couldn't help us pay for some of these expenses. They are not required, I know. But I thought it might be a nice gesture on their part. I didn't ask for any discount for our next cruise and they didn't offer.

But it's all over and thankfully my little one is fine. Took a good month for her to be back to normal. And we are planning a nice Christmas Cruise this year. But I will not let her in the pools.

Yuck! I'm so sorry that happened to your daughter. We're sailing on the Fantasy in 2 weeks, and I'm not going to let my son in the pool, just to avoid this kind of thing happening. It does seem very likely that's what caused it in your case- I've read about countless "pool pooping" incidents on these boards- they seem to occur repeatedly on every cruise- unimpressive that DCL hasn't gotten a handle on the problem. I've read about other kids getting sick after using the pool, too.

Disney should make the minimum age for the pool 5 & up (would probably need to be enforced via a wristband requirement) as they're trying to be nice & let the little ones in now, but parents regularly abuse that by bringing in kids who aren't fully potty-trained. That is an ongoing, frequent, well-documented problem that is not some kind of fluke, and is DCL's responsibility to correct. Too bad they're choosing to be passive about the problem, and I'm also sorry that they gave you no compensation for what your daughter went through.

 

[timrousbeastie]

Yes, I'm assuming that kid is still on the cruise. This child may have been on the previous one.

I posted for advice about a sick 12 year-old during our Fantasy cruise last week. He felt better right after throwing up the evening before Cozumel and everyone was fine for the duration of the cruise. All the restaurants did start the procedure where only a waiter can hand you food from the buffets after the first 3-4 days due to increasing disease onboard, but this was after he was fine again.

 

[Steelers0854]

There is nothing worse than getting sick while on vacation, especially on a cruise, and especially when it's a little one. I hope she is feeling better and back to her normal self.

That being said I think it would be inappropriate to ask for any compensation from DCL, you have already received that compensation in the form of free medical care. DCL was under no obligation to offer you free medical care, but they did. If you had been charged it would likely be several hundred dollars, if not over $1,000 for 3 visits and various IV and prescription treatments. Even with stateside medical insurance, you would most likely be out of network (assuming you have a PPO type insurance) and would likely be out a significant portion of that money any way.

If you went to a hotel somewhere and had paid for theme park tickets in advance you wouldn't expect the hotel or theme park to reimburse you for any of your expenses due to the illness, so I was never sure why people expect the cruise line to do so.

Now, if there was an outbreak on board I think the situation would be totally different. While we are still responsible for our own hygiene and preventative steps, an outbreak could indicate some responsibility on the cruise line for the spread of the bug due to not following protocols and therefore some compensation may be in order. You would know this because the cruise line is required to report when a certain percentage of the passengers are effected by an illness. Also, while I haven't been on DCL yet I imagine they are like other lines, there would have been a change in procedures on board to limit the spread of any illness.

Sorry for the long answer, just wanted to share my thoughts and reasoning behind them. I certainly hope the next cruise goes off without a hitch for you guys!

 

[squirk]

Yuck! I'm so sorry that happened to your daughter. We're sailing on the Fantasy in 2 weeks, and I'm not going to let my son in the pool, just to avoid this kind of thing happening. It does seem very likely that's what caused it in your case- I've read about countless "pool pooping" incidents on these boards- they seem to occur repeatedly on every cruise- unimpressive that DCL hasn't gotten a handle on the problem.

How can you be so certain that poop in the pool is what caused the OP's daughter to get sick? I am not saying that the pool issues are not a health problem, but there are thousands of people on that ship, all of them in various states of health. And I am guessing there are a fair number of adults on every single cruise who lie on those health forms and do not disclose that someone in their party has a runny nose, diarrhea, productive cough, etc. out of fear that they will be denied boarding. Surely, there are even some who are (getting) sick and don't even know it yet.

All of these people are touching hand rails, elevator buttons, faucet handles, chair backs, soft-serve dispenser handles, etc. I am sure all of us have witnessed kids picking their nose, people refusing the hand wipes when entering the restaurants, not covering their sneezes and coughs with the crook of their elbow, and grossest of all, kids and adults not washing their hands after using the bathroom on these cruises.

All of this is to say that contracting a "stomach bug" is an inherent risk you undertake when you travel, especially in a relatively confined space with 4,000 other people. This is not to excuse breaches in protocol for hygiene and sanitation, but "germs" will spread, no matter how diligent DCL is.

 

[2Bnºoºt2B]

Thank you for the replies. You're all right; at least they did not charge for the medical expenses. I know that our medical insurance would've covered it once we got home, and I know we would've had to pay upfront what probably would've been a fairly high charge, based on previous experience with DCL medical department.

She got sick about 62 hours after stepping onboard and I strongly believe she did catch something on the ship. But this isn't something that I want to "fight" with DCL over. Doing that would only increase the unpleasant memories we have from this cruise.

It took a couple of weeks for her to get her strength back, but she's fine now, and that's what's important. Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

P.S. I want to add that the doctor and nurses were extremely professional and seemingly very caring and concerned. They made several follow-up calls to our cabin to check on her and to provide additional medication for her. Everyone on board who we came into contact with due to her illness could not have been nicer or more helpful. The CMs at Guest Services are the ones who provided her with frozen electrolyte ice pops. They always did so with a smile and would not accept a tip when I offered it.

My only minor complaint is when I ordered PowerAde and Gingerale from room service, they argued a little with me about charging me, even after I explained to them that the DOCTOR told me to tell them she was under his care and that these beverages would be provided to her at no charge from room service. Of course we paid for sodas for the rest of us, and tipped the delivery person as well.

So sorry to hear about what happened ... it is great that DCL did not charge any expenses for the onboard medical care. Since we began cruising oh so long ago, we had the unfortunate experience to be boarded ... twice ... by CDC ... due to outbreak of GI illness that affected a number of passengers including once for myself and once for DW. On those occasions we did correspond with the Cruise Line afterwards ... and they responded in a very positive manner with more than appropriate compensation. I would say it is more preferable to have a smooth sailing ( ... certainly not fun at all being hospitalized in the infirmary hooked up to IV's ... or being personally interviewed by CDC before disembarkation ... providing samples for testing ... and maintaining correspondence with CDC and the cruise line ... ). Despite those (and other mishaps experienced on other cruises) we still love cruising ...

 

[cheribelle]

How can you be so certain that poop in the pool is what caused the OP's daughter to get sick? I am not saying that the pool issues are not a health problem, but there are thousands of people on that ship, all of them in various states of health. And I am guessing there are a fair number of adults on every single cruise who lie on those health forms and do not disclose that someone in their party has a runny nose, diarrhea, productive cough, etc. out of fear that they will be denied boarding. Surely, there are even some who are (getting) sick and don't even know it yet.

All of these people are touching hand rails, elevator buttons, faucet handles, chair backs, soft-serve dispenser handles, etc. I am sure all of us have witnessed kids picking their nose, people refusing the hand wipes when entering the restaurants, not covering their sneezes and coughs with the crook of their elbow, and grossest of all, kids and adults not washing their hands after using the bathroom on these cruises.

All of this is to say that contracting a "stomach bug" is an inherent risk you undertake when you travel, especially in a relatively confined space with 4,000 other people. This is not to excuse breaches in protocol for hygiene and sanitation, but "germs" will spread, no matter how diligent DCL is.

I think she was replying to my post (I'm not the OP) which was about my daughter contracting a specific water born parasite - cryptosporidium- which is really spread through fecal matter. It was not a typical stomach bug like the OP's.

But I whole heartedly agree with your post about how easy it is to catch a stomach bug just about everywhere (and not just on cruise ships).

But FWIW, I won't be going in those pools anymore while on the ship after what we went through. The pools never looked clear and always too crowded. Just increases the risk for any illness. Don't want to go through that again. I'll deal with a 24 hr stomach bug any day over the ordeal last year. But that's just my opinion. I'm typically not a germaphobe. I'll let my kids go in play areas, touch handrails etc. We always practice hand washing and use the wipes. But I won't be utilizing the pools.

 

[squirk]

I think she was replying to my post (I'm not the OP) which was about my daughter contracting a specific water born parasite - cryptosporidium- which is really spread through fecal matter. It was not a typical stomach bug like the OP's.

But I whole heartedly agree with your post about how easy it is to catch a stomach bug just about everywhere (and not just on cruise ships).

But FWIW, I won't be going in those pools anymore while on the ship after what we went through. The pools never looked clear and always too crowded. Just increases the risk for any illness. Don't want to go through that again. I'll deal with a 24 hr stomach bug any day over the ordeal last year. But that's just my opinion. I'm typically not a germaphobe. I'll let my kids go in play areas, touch handrails etc. We always practice hand washing and use the wipes. But I won't be utilizing the pools.

Ah. My bad. I still wonder what DCL can do about the crypto thing. It always seems to me that they cholrinate the crap out of the pools and lifeguards are constantly chasing out little kids in swim diapers or who are otherwise clearly too young to be potty-trained.

@Shanti 's wristband idea has merit, but the problem is that there are always going to be those people who think the rules do not apply to them or their kids. I wonder if the wristbands will allow the lifeguards to flag the "high-probability offenders" faster enough to make a difference.

Really, I think the real problem with the "one-off" ship-borne illnesses is the lack of personal hygiene of some guests, and their disregard for the health of their fellow passengers.

 

[chrisrunty]

We recently got home from our cruise. Two days into our 7-night cruise our daughter was put in isolation due to her being very sick and needing to see the onboard doctor 3 different times. They gave her IV fluids and IV nausea and diarrhea meds, as well as meds to take orally.

We weren't charged for medical services because I think they realized that she got ill while on the cruise, or maybe they just don't charge for these types of illnesses anyway. It was diagnosed as "acute gastroenteritis". Only she was quarantined but she was so sick that she needed someone (me) to care for her. My DH and DS did some activities on their own, but it wasn't the family vacation we planned and paid for.

We didn't purchase travel insurance for this trip. I know... dumb move.

Has DCL ever compensated anyone for having missed so much of their cruise due to getting extremely ill while onboard? We rebooked the southern Caribbean cruise Jan '18 while on this cruise to get the discount and OBC.

Have they ever issued a monetary compensation or even a next cruise credit or anything? I just don't know whether it's worth sending an email or not. I will definitely buy travel insurance for all future trips.

*edit I just got off the Fantasy yesterday. Sorry your child got sick. We are seasoned Disney cruisers (platinum), and I just had to mention that there was a lot of illness on our cruise. (11/26) (probably norovirus, lots of running into throw up in the dining rooms and hallways) I was alerted as soon as I saw the buffet plates gone, soft serve that had a crew member getting it for you and the ultimate was all the drink stations manned by crew during the day and disabled at night with a sign stating you can order drinks from room service. The family hot tub was also closed down and the Goofy and Mickey pool drained numerous times....

 

[perditax]

New-ish cruiser. I had my first run-in with noro this fall on NCL. Ship went "code red" or whatever. I'm afraid it's kind of put me off cruising for the time being. But apparently it's pretty common--I'd hoped people were just overstating the risk, but I guess not--so it doesn't seem like there's any point in asking for compensation. Too many humans in close quarters = Petri dish. (And I did everything right, washed my hands constantly, etc.)

 

[CruizinTigers]

Sorry to read about your daughter, and your family's vacation. Certainly not what you signed up for.

Please follow up on this thread if you should reach out to DCL. I'd be very interested to learn what response you get if you do.

IMHO, you are certainly entitled to ask for compensation in some form, though, like other responses on this thread, I would be very surprised if you got anything. I learned first hand about 5 years ago that DCL is generally very strict about not rewarding guest who incur hardships like this, beyond what they are required to do. My family had a DCL cruise booked back then and were unfortunately forced to cancel last minute due to Hurricane Sandy. Fortunately we had insurance through DCL which gave us a credit towards a future cruise in the amount of our original trip, which happened to be at the beginning of November. Very fortunate for us, but the only time we could reschedule when everyone could go was July, which of course cost more, $2000 more to be precise for our family. More also for the other families joining us. Despite numerous requests and emails to DCL asking for some help due to our circumstance, they stood firm and would not do anything more than they were obligated to. So, I would be surprised, but pleased if you received anything.

 

[squirk]

IMHO, you are certainly entitled to ask for compensation in some form

Curious - why do you think the OP is entitled to ask for compensation?

 

[tinkerone]

Really, I think the real problem with the "one-off" ship-borne illnesses is the lack of personal hygiene of some guests, and their disregard for the health of their fellow passengers.

Dh and I have sat around the adult pool a lot and have discussed how some of the adults keep drinking but never get out of the pool. There is just no way you can drink 5 beer and not have to use the restroom. For that reason alone we seldom use the adult pool after eleven in the morning. Its not just the family/kids pools that you need to be leery of. Puts a whole new meaning on pea soup.

 

[squirk]

Dh and I have sat around the adult pool a lot and have discussed how some of the adults keep drinking but never get out of the pool. There is just no way you can drink 5 beer and not have to use the restroom. For that reason alone we seldom use the adult pool after eleven in the morning. Its not just the family/kids pools that you need to be leery of. Puts a whole new meaning on pea soup.

Gross. Sometimes, when I watch people on Disney vacations, it's like watching those evolution graphics in reverse.

 

[RedSox68]

I think it was an amazing gesture that they didn't charge you for all that medical care. I have read horror stories about those fees adding up and how expensive it can be. You were fortunate they didn't charge you onboard, but I don't see them also compensating you for the experience.

And I agree about the kids' pools -- I have seen way too many kids in diapers and they should never be allowed in the pools! YUCK

 

[SpaceSquirrel]

There is talk on other websites (which I cannot reference or link to) regarding a recent horrible norovirus outbreak on a Disney ship.

 

[Vijoge]

Your daughter received free medical care. You'e been compensated.

 

[RedSox68]

There is talk on other websites (which I cannot reference or link to) regarding a recent horrible norovirus outbreak on a Disney ship.

I found this on Cruise Junkie, but it happened in April and is on the Disney Wonder: CDC reports 92 of 2679 (3.43%) passengers and 5 of 991 (0.5%) crew have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. A CDC Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officer is making plans to board the ship upon arrival in the port of Miami on May 1, 2016 to conduct an environmental health assessment and evaluate the outbreak and response activities.The cruise began April 27 and ends May 1. UPDATE: 131 of 2680 (4.89%) pax; 14 of 991 (1.41%) crew.

 

[cheribelle]

*edit I just got off the Fantasy yesterday. Sorry your child got sick. We are seasoned Disney cruisers (platinum), and I just had to mention that there was a lot of illness on our cruise. (11/26) (probably norovirus, lots of running into throw up in the dining rooms and hallways) I was alerted as soon as I saw the buffet plates gone, soft serve that had a crew member getting it for you and the ultimate was all the drink stations manned by crew during the day and disabled at night with a sign stating you can order drinks from room service. The family hot tub was also closed down and the Goofy and Mickey pool drained numerous times....

That's awful about the sickness but it seems that DCL did the right thing by closing down all the self serve stations. We sail on the Fantasy in less than 3 weeks. Wondering if this will still be like that.
Bringing extra Lysol!

 

[Uncleromulus]

Of course sorry anyone gets sick on a cruise but--getting free medical care is quite compensation enough as far as I can see.

I wonder what folks reading this thread who received medical care--and WERE charged--feel?????